Disruptions to international air travel are severely affecting Kenya’s tourism and hospitality sector, according to Benson Karibe, Head of Sales and Marketing at GemSuites Hotel and Luxury Serviced Apartments, Riverside.
Speaking on Radio Generation on Tuesday, Karibe said the closure of the airspace as a result of the Middle East conflict has dealt a big blow to the hospitality industry.
“Most of the visitors who come to Nairobi use these as the interconnecting routes—they’re coming from Europe, our biggest source market, or the US. When there’s disruption of airspace, flights are canceled, flights are delayed. What automatically happens is that the guests we are expecting cannot come, because there is no means for them to travel to Nairobi,” he explained.
Karibe noted that lower visitor arrivals have a domino effect across the sector.
“When a hotel makes lower revenue, everyone within the bracket affected by that revenue feels the impact—from the owners and investors to employees and even the suppliers who provide food and other services. The effect is so big, it cannot be considered in isolation,” he said
Despite the challenges, Karibe highlighted that local tourism remains relatively healthy. “We have done a lot of marketing inside the country, encouraging Kenyans to visit their own country. You see, there’s an upsurge of visitors to Mombasa, Naivasha, and other destinations during holidays like December and Easter. But immediately after the holidays, numbers dip as people return to work,” he explained.
He emphasized that domestic tourism cannot fully compensate for lost international travelers, noting that 80% of the hotel clientele is Nairobi-based corporate clients and frequent international visitors.
“Our biggest target is the corporate sector, NGOs, and frequent international travelers. If someone is coming from the UK, US, or Turkey for a meeting, they must be able to travel to Nairobi without hindrance. Any disruption immediately affects our market position,” Karibe added.
He also pointed to creative tourism models in other countries as inspiration. “For example, in Japan, they convert trains into restaurants during winter when travel is slow, offering unique experiences to tourists. That’s a clever way to keep tourism flowing despite seasonal or logistical challenges,” he noted.
Karibe’s comments underscored the fragility of Kenya’s tourism and hospitality sector in the face of international travel disruptions, emphasizing the need for resilience strategies to protect revenues, livelihoods, and the broader economic contributions of the industry.